In search of subcortical and cortical morphologic alterations of a normal brain through aging: an investigation by computed tomography scan.

Abstract

Morphologic changes in the brain through aging, as a physiologic process, may involve a wide range of variables including ventricular dilation, and sulcus widening. This study reports normal ranges of these changes as standard criteria. Normal brain computed tomography scans of 400 patients (200 males, 200 females) in every decade of life (20 groups each containing 20 participants) were investigated for subcortical/cortical atrophy (bicaudate width [BCW], third ventricle width [ThVW], maximum length of lateral ventricle at cella media [MLCM], bicaudate index [BCI], third ventricle index [ThVI], and cella media index 3 [CMI3], interhemispheric sulcus width [IHSW], right hemisphere sulci diameter [RHSD], and left hemisphere sulci diameter [LHSD]), ventricular symmetry. Distribution and correlation of all the variables were demonstrated with age and a multiple linear regression model was reported for age prediction. Among the various parameters of subcortical atrophy, BCW, ThVW, MLCM, and the corresponding indices of BCI, ThVI, and CMI3 demonstrated a significant correlation with age (R²≥0.62). All the cortical atrophy parameters including IHSW, RHSD, and LHSD demonstrated a significant correlation with age (R²≥0.63). This study is a thorough investigation of variables in a normal brain which can be affected by aging disclosing normal ranges of variables including major ventricular variables, derived ventricular indices, lateral ventricles asymmetry, cortical atrophy, in every decade of life introducing BW, ThVW, MLCM, BCI, ThVI, CMI3 as most significant ventricular parameters, and IHSW, RHSD, LHSD as significant cortical parameters associated with age.